Choose one named UK vertebrate species that has ‘done well’ in recent years and one that has not. Compare and contrast the conservation issues for each. What are the proposed solutions for the declining species?
Introduction
The temperate climate of Great Britain provides habitats for a relatively small fraction of the world’s wildlife. Of the vertebrate groups, Britain’s freshwater fish are likely to be the most threatened (Reid et al., 2013). A significant responsibility for this is due to invasive species as well as overfishing and climate change. The introduction of non-native species often leads to the risk of interspecific competition with native wildlife, meaning that separate species that occupy the same niche will have to compete for resources, eventually resulting in the decline of one population (Toole & …show more content…
Although, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, this carp is of least concern, it’s population trend is decreasing (Freyhof & Kottolat, 2008). This native species of carp was once widely distributed across the British Isles but is now experiencing extirpation due to competition in habitats where it does not thrive.
The most significant threats are caused by introduced species; such as the closely related and often confused with Prussian carp Carassius gibelio, a subspecies of the congeneric goldfish Carassius auratus which could lead to local extinction in many of their native areas (Smartt, 2007). In addition to this, the physical similarities between the Crucian carp and goldfish C. auratus has inadvertently stunted conservation efforts. This is because it is likely that goldfish had been mistaken for crucian carp when restocking ponds in an attempt to raise population in the 1980s (Wheeler, 1998), meaning that it is expected that goldfish were introduced to the majority of small ponds around southern
Introduction
The temperate climate of Great Britain provides habitats for a relatively small fraction of the world’s wildlife. Of the vertebrate groups, Britain’s freshwater fish are likely to be the most threatened (Reid et al., 2013). A significant responsibility for this is due to invasive species as well as overfishing and climate change. The introduction of non-native species often leads to the risk of interspecific competition with native wildlife, meaning that separate species that occupy the same niche will have to compete for resources, eventually resulting in the decline of one population (Toole & …show more content…
Although, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, this carp is of least concern, it’s population trend is decreasing (Freyhof & Kottolat, 2008). This native species of carp was once widely distributed across the British Isles but is now experiencing extirpation due to competition in habitats where it does not thrive.
The most significant threats are caused by introduced species; such as the closely related and often confused with Prussian carp Carassius gibelio, a subspecies of the congeneric goldfish Carassius auratus which could lead to local extinction in many of their native areas (Smartt, 2007). In addition to this, the physical similarities between the Crucian carp and goldfish C. auratus has inadvertently stunted conservation efforts. This is because it is likely that goldfish had been mistaken for crucian carp when restocking ponds in an attempt to raise population in the 1980s (Wheeler, 1998), meaning that it is expected that goldfish were introduced to the majority of small ponds around southern